Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin on April 2, 2024
Presided over the regular press conference
Iranian Audiovisual Organization: On April 1, Israeli airstrikes destroyed the consular section building of the Iranian Embassy in Syria, killing more than seven Iranians. Does the Chinese government have any comment?
Wang Wenbin: China condemns the attack on the Iranian embassy in Syria. The security of diplomatic institutions is inviolable, and Syria's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity should be respected. At a time when the situation in the Middle East is volatile, we oppose any act that leads to an escalation of tensions.
Shenzhen TV: French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Céjourne visited China on April 1. Can you tell us more about the visit, and what are the important consensuses and concrete results reached by the two sides during the visit?
Wang Wenbin: China and France are both big countries with an independent spirit, and China-France relations have always been of strategic significance beyond the bilateral sphere. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France. Since the beginning of the year, the two sides have carried out a series of high-level exchanges, and China-France relations have shown vigorous vitality and vitality in the beginning of the new year.
This is the first visit to China by Foreign Minister Séjule since he took office, and it is also his first visit to the Asian region, which shows that the French side attaches great importance to Sino-French relations. During the visit, Premier Li Qiang and Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met and held talks with him, and the two sides had in-depth exchanges on Sino-French relations, China-EU relations, and international and regional issues of common concern, and reached broad consensus.
Under the leadership of the two heads of state and taking the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations as an opportunity, the two sides agreed that China and France should take the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations as an opportunity to closely communicate and coordinate, deepen exchanges and cooperation, build China-France relations into more strategically stable and forward-looking, and play a leading role in the world. The two sides will strengthen the synergy between development strategies and industries, and actively explore new growth points for cooperation such as green development and artificial intelligence while deepening cooperation in traditional fields such as aerospace, nuclear energy, agriculture and finance. The two sides agreed to hold the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations and the Year of Culture and Tourism, deepen cooperation in science, education, sports and cultural heritage protection, and provide more convenience for people-to-people exchanges between the two countries. The two sides stand for deepening the China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership, strengthening openness and cooperation, opposing "decoupling and breaking chains", properly handling differences through consultations, and jointly maintaining the stability of global production and supply chains and promoting global economic recovery. The two sides will continue to maintain close communication on major international and regional hotspot issues, support each other's multilateral initiatives, and work together to address global challenges such as climate change and biodiversity conservation, so as to inject more stability into a chaotic world. During the visit, the French side reiterated its adherence to the one-China policy, which the Chinese side appreciates.
Global Times: According to the Financial Times, the US recently announced the limits of its continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles, bringing large areas of the mineral-rich seabed under its jurisdiction. A few days ago, delegations from Russia, China, and other countries pointed out at a meeting of the International Seabed Authority that since the United States has not yet ratified the "United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea," its proposal to unilaterally expand the outer continental shelf is unacceptable. Do you have any further comment?
Wang Wenbin: The US unilateral demarcation of the limits of the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles is a typical act of unilateralism and hegemony. The rules governing the delimitation of the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles derive from the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea rather than customary international law, and the United States is not a party to the Convention and has no right to claim the outer continental shelf under the Convention or to review the limits of its outer continental shelf through the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf. The unilateral claim of the United States is illegal and invalid, a serious violation of international law, and an erosion of the international seabed area, which is the "common heritage of mankind", which harms the overall interests of the international community, and will not be recognized by the international community. This has once again exposed the pragmatic approach and hegemonic nature of the United States in applying international law in accordance with it and discarding it when it is not.
Anadolu News Agency: Israel's 14-day siege and invasion of the Shifa Hospital has left Gaza's largest hospital in rubble and hundreds of civilians dead. Yesterday, rescuers from the American aid organization "World Central Kitchen" were targeted by Israeli air strikes and lost their lives as a result. Israel continues to commit acts in the Gaza Strip that may amount to war crimes, despite the warnings of the Security Council and the International Court of Justice. Do you have any comment on the recent situation in Gaza?
Wang Wenbin: China opposes all acts that harm civilians, damage civilian facilities and violate international law, and is shocked and condemns the attack on international aid workers in Gaza, and expresses deep condolences to the victims. Civilians should not be targeted, and the safety of international humanitarian aid workers should not be threatened. We urge all parties concerned, in particular Israel, to earnestly implement UNSCR 2728, fulfill their obligations under the UN Charter, cease fire immediately, make every effort to avoid innocent civilian casualties, and make every effort to ensure the safety of civilians and civilian facilities that are specially protected by the Geneva Conventions, such as hospitals, and to prevent an even more serious humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip.
Associated Press of Pakistan: Yesterday, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif visited the Dasu Hydropower Project and visited the Chinese staff of the project. He pledged to spare no effort to protect the safety of Chinese citizens and projects in Pakistan, and severely punish the perpetrators of the March 26 terrorist attacks. Do you have any comment?
Wang Wenbin: China firmly supports Pakistan's counter-terrorism efforts and resolutely safeguards the security of Chinese citizens, projects and institutions abroad. Since the incident, China has been in close communication with the Pakistani side. We hope that the Pakistani side will be determined and vigorous to seriously find out the truth, severely punish the perpetrators and the masterminds behind the scenes, and make every effort to protect the safety of Chinese personnel, projects and institutions in Pakistan. China is ready to provide necessary assistance to Pakistan in the investigation of the case, and the terrorists will pay the price.
CCTV: Recently, the international media have paid a lot of attention to China's latest manufacturing PMI and non-manufacturing business activity index, saying that the data shows that China's economy has found a new growth engine. Does the foreign ministry have any comment?
Wang Wenbin: As you just mentioned, China's manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI), non-manufacturing business activity index and composite PMI output index in March attracted great attention from the international community. The three major indices rebounded synchronously, and all of them were in the expansion range, reflecting the continued upward trend of China's economic operation, the continuous strengthening of endogenous momentum, the continuous improvement of social expectations, and the solid progress of high-quality development. In addition to the PMI data, many indicators such as China's import and export, power generation, passenger and freight traffic, and consumption during the Spring Festival have also released positive signals of economic recovery, making the outside world more expected about the performance of China's economy in 2024.
The good start of China's economy this year has become a beautiful scenery for the current world economy. Recently, more than 100 heads of multinational companies have visited China intensively. Whether it is the annual meeting of the China Development Forum or the annual meeting of the Boao Forum for Asia, they are full of friends. Many business leaders at the meeting expressed their confidence in the strong resilience and development prospects of China's economy, and that the Chinese market still has irreplaceable value for multinational companies and will continue to invest in China.
China's development is an open development. Recently, a number of Chinese departments have successively released a series of important measures to expand high-level opening-up, covering cross-border trade in services, cross-border data flow, financial opening-up and other fields. From the Canton Fair to the CIIE, from the CIFTIS to the Digital Trade Fair, from the Consumer Expo to the Chain Expo, China's door to opening up is opening wider and wider, and China's big market is increasingly becoming a big opportunity for the world. We believe that foreign companies investing in China and cultivating China will also win in China.